Lawyers and other law professionals faced inquiry by students
and prospective law school applicants in the latest UCLA Feud,
“Why Law?”
Based on the game show “Family Feud,” a panel
consisting of various members of the legal profession were quizzed
on their careers to help students determine whether law school
would be the right choice for them, ahead of February’s Law
School Admissions Test.
The event was the second event in the UCLA Feud series and was
organized by the Academic Affairs Commission. The event is aimed at
educating students about various professions.
But the focus of the event was to force students to consider why
they want to pursue law and also give them a clear idea of what the
profession involves.
Some replies from the panel rebuffed negative stereotypes about
the profession. Forty-five percent of the attorneys interviewed
said money was the worst reason to be a lawyer.
The panel said the personalities of students would determine
what aspects of the profession they would like.
Government Attorney Kurt Muller said some people are suited to
burying themselves in a law library and researching, but others
might prefer the excitement of a trial.
“There are some like me who love putting the bad guys away
and helping the victims. So it depends a lot on who you are,”
he said.
Students should not go into law based on what they assume it
would be like, said Attorney Wesley Meehan, who enjoyed the
intellectual aspects, but not the practice of law.
They also stressed the challenges of the profession, such as the
hours.
“Being a prosecutor, I have many cases coming through my
hands which will affect people for the rest of their lives,”
he said.
Some students found themselves re-evaluating their reasons for
wanting to study law. Matt Gibson, a second-year communication
studies student, said the conflict between the nature of the work
and his ambitions to travel means he might need to come up with a
more realistic plan than studying law.
However, many students found that the talk helped to expand
their understanding of the career and reaffirm that they want to
continue with law.
“I always thought that if I went to law school, I had to
become a lawyer, but the talk gave me different options,”
said Jocelyn Aldana, a second-year undeclared student.
Though UCLA currently does not provide on-campus professional
school counseling, Nat Schuster, the Undergraduate Students
Association Council Academic Affairs commissioner, felt these
programs provide important opportunities for networking and gaining
insight into what professional life is really like.